Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission. Recently, in a candlelit room in Tribeca, a year-old named Zack made a confession. Then he kicked on the music and began pedaling his bike. Most applicants were young, fit, and more than commonly attractive; one woman announced that she was the reigning Miss Black USA. By the time the last candidate took the podium, they had been cycling for over two hours, but Janet, who shared that even her year-old son loved SoulCycle, was still able to rev up the energy.
In early , soon-to-be co-founders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice met over lunch at Soho House after having been introduced by their spin instructor, Ruth Zukerman also a co-founder, she left the company in to start rival Flywheel Sports. The studio started with 33 bikes, one bathroom, and zero showers. Cutler and Riceβwho funded the company themselves, without outside investorsβfigured that it would take customers a day to keep the lights on.
At first, some classes yielded only one or two riders. Emphasis is put on making riders feel special. Every corporate employee works the front desk for a week, so that each gets a sense of who is coming and going.
Validation is meant to be not only given but tailor-made. Stay on the waitlist! Soulfairy is on this! She counts her instructors among her closest friends. But the strength of the brand lies in the personality and charisma of the person on the podium, and on carefully pairing that person with his or her audience. Apparently, what a UES mom wants at a.
Add one last turn for yourself! In the p. A little juicier? But as much as the performative aspects keep riders coming back, they have also driven more serious athletes away, often into the open arms of Flywheel, where a metrics-based workout is coupled with more self-restraint. Though Ruth Zukerman declines to discuss her exit from SoulCycle, some chalk it up to a difference in instructor style.
